Stars and Light
by The Great Rhapsode
Summary: What if Licht had come to the Hage orphanage and adopted Asta? What would their first meeting be like? What would the world of Black Clover be like if Asta and Licht met and became a family? But what else is different. AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _**So this was a bit of gift for threeeyedclover on tumblr who I've had a some wonderful back and forth's with and I had decided to write this fic on a concept we were both intrigued with: What if Licht had come to the Hage orphanage and adopted Asta? Well, this might become a series of drabbles, but as for this one specifically this will focus on how Asta and Licht meet and become father and son. Enjoy~**_

"I see…" said the Priest as he looked across his desk to a man sitting opposite of him. The Priest tapped his fingers across his desk in contemplation. This Priest had been the sole benefactor and guardian of this church for many years. He had long been a man of God, who solely wished to make his church a home for the many lost children of the Forsaken Realm. This church, located in the farming village of Hage, had been a home for many until they had reached their adolescence and went off to gain a job. However, today was a first. A tall young man had walked into his church asking to adopt a child.

The Priest eyed this visitor more, while they had facial features resembling a female, it was easy from his voice to tell that this visitor was a man. His hair was pure white and each silky-smooth strand was tied into braids, around the frame of his eyes were red crescent-shaped tattoos, and had no noticeable eyebrows. His outfit was a simple white cloak that reached down to his ankles and had been adorn with three ornaments resembling eyes that ran down the midline of the Man's body. This visitor wore a welcoming, yet at the same time, chilling smile.

"And you stated your name was, what again?" The Priest questioned struggling to remember the name of the stranger who had asked for this adoption.

"Licht." the visitor replied. He calmly stared back at the Priest.

"Well, Mister Licht. I am curious why you've decided to take this action." The Priest said in a hesitant tone. "It isn't like I'm alien to the concept of adoption, but the fact someone in the Forsaken Realm would be willing to take on another mouth to feed… It's quite unusual."

"Oh, I assure you that I am serious about this commitment." Licht retorted with a tone of joy in his voice.

"Well, allow me one more inquiry." The Priest asked, still not letting a single thing break his eye lock with the man dressed in white. "You seem to want a specific child, tell me, is there a reason why you would like Asta?"

Licht was silenced by that question. His cool composer was still maintained, but his smile had faded. Licht had first learned of the young orphan, Asta, during his time visiting Hage. He had come across a boy no older than 10-years-old fighting a stranger, who dared to take a precious object from his friend, with his bare hands. This little street rat fighting a mage abusing his power was awe inspiring to Licht. The white haired man felt it at that moment, this orphan had housed a burning spirit, one that ceased to succumb to any obstacle. Watching that had stirred a sensation in Licht that he hadn't felt for many years.

"To answer your question, Father…" Licht said with a lowered head. "I had been robbed of my chance at a family. My wife and child perishing before my very eyes, but this boy… " Licht began to choke on his words as the memories of his loved ones welled inside him. "This boy has a spirit in him that needs proper growth and tutelage. Please allow to make up for my lost chance at raising a young life by giving me this one!"

The edges of the Priest's lip curled into the grin of a child. "It seems the Lord works in mysterious ways. Taking one family to hopefully bring another together…" The Priest said as he finally stood up from his desk and motioned Licht to follow him.

The two men arrived at a door, opening it and allowing the warm spring air to wash over them. This day was filled with a brilliant golden sun that bathed over all the inhabitants of Hage who went about their day. This perfect weather had led to the birth of many small flowers that now dotted the entire backyard of the church and were by no means safe from the greedy hands of children, who ran through the yard and played games to occupy their time.

Watching over them was a woman of the cloth, Lily, who was frantically counting each orphan as they scurried about in the glorious mid day weather. Lily's count had ceased upon the arrival of the Priest and Licht.

"Hello, Father!" Lily greeted with a slight bow of her head.

"Lily, this is Mr. Licht. He has generously asked for the right to take Asta under his wing." The Priest explained nonchalantly as he introduced his guest to the nun.

Lily stood in a small state of shock at what she just heard. Someone willing to take a child that wasn't their own? Quite a rarity in Hage. However, her puzzled state didn't last long as her face cartoonishly contorted at the realization that she hadn't managed to check where Asta had been.

"I'm sorry, Father, but I don't know where Asta is." Sighed Lily which caused Licht to once again drop his smile. "I haven't found him since the kids ran outside."

The three adults began to turn their heads in search of Asta, but all three came up short. Even with all the young kids moving moving about, there was no sign of Asta. While they all began contemplating ways to find him, a young black haired boy approached the three. "Umm… excuse me…" the boy said in a soft voice laced with anxiety of speaking to the currently scavenging adults.

"Yuno!" cried Lily as she kneel down to him and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "What is it?"

Yuno stared at Licht, his eyes drawn to the tall, white haired man. The boy was fixated on the visitor, as if he knew something about Licht that no one else did. This sudden urge shot through Yuno. Not an urge of fear or self preservation, but one of sorrow. While, Yuno was a typically sad a introverted boy, there was an air to this newcomer, Licht, that caused his heart to swell.

"I just wanted to say that… Asta… He's stuck in a tree!" Stammered Yuno as he held on to Lily's hand and let his dilemma come to the adult's attention.

"Gah, that boy!" The Priest said in an exasperated tone. "He always is pulling stunts like this."

This news had cause Licht to purse his lips in confusion. The Asta he had come to see had already a reputation for stunts like these. He expected the boy to be reckless, but none to an extent that a situation like this would be commonplace. His curiosity was finally address as the group of adults were led to a tall sycamore tree, one that towered over the church itself.

In this sycamore was a young boy, he had been covered in rags that were likely scrounged up by the church in their attempts to provide for each child. His green eyes were noticeable even so many feet in the air, sparkling like freshly cut emeralds laid on display in the highest jewel shops of the Royal Realm. To top it off, the boy also wore a red headband in his ash gray hair that managed to keep his bangs in place.

Even in this uncomfortable and dangerous situation, the gray haired boy could help but laugh and smile like the kid he was. Hearing this resounding glee made Licht feel like there a tugging at the ends of his mouth. Asta's positive energy was one to be both admired and cherished if it could reach so far.

"Hey, Father! Sister! Look, I made it all the way to the top!" hollered Asta from the top of the sycamore and staring down at his friends.

"Asta…" Groaned the Priest, but soon changed his tone reflecting that of the harshest of Magic Knight instructors. "Do have any idea how to get down! I have someone I'd like you to meet!"

Yuno only gave a sad look, raising his usually quiet tone to be loud enough to be heard by the sky-high Asta. "Why would you even do this, Asta?" He questioned, only remembering Asta spouting a proclamation of "conquering" this tree.

"I made it to the top without any assistance, this kind of skill will be totally useful on the field a a Magic Knight!" replied Asta who became giddy reaffirming his dream to become a great Magic Knight and then, possibly, the Wizard King.

"Okay, but can you get down?" Asked Lily, seeing a small flaw in the rambunctious child's acts.

Asta gave no response this time outside of a few grunts and hums. The boy had not really though of how to get down, really he had spent the day fully thinking about getting up. He could try falling, but he knew there was a chance he might get seriously injured, so that was not a good option. He thought of climbing down, but his arms were quite exhausted since he spent most of it on climbing up the tree. Times like these were good to reminders for Asta to discover his magic affinity quickly so it might help out in times like these. Perhaps he would have made a slide out of water like Lily or floated using a gust of wind ike Yuno.

"Doesn't seem like I can get down!" Asta said with no sense of danger or stress at his current position.

"Lord give me strength…" The Priest muttered under his breath. His eyes shot to the side to give Licht a quick glance. The Priest could almost see the gears turning in Licht's mind, thoughts of abandoning the thoughts of adoption were settling in. The chance of Asta being denied a better life stopped by one day's idiotic blunder.

Licht stepped forward, causing all those in attendance to face him. The white haired man reached into his cloak and removed his grimoire in a single fluid motion. With no time wasted, Licht opening the book and allowed each page to flip past him in the spring breeze until the flipping stopped on Licht's desired page. In a quick second, Licht's was cooking in a bright light and with his light encompassed body he made a quick dash up the tree. This man bathed in light had easily bolted to Asta's position within a single moment.

Through either his sudden arrival or blinding magic, possibly a combination of the town, caused the tree-bound Asta to shift backwards almost losing his seating in the sycamore's branched. Without a moment's hesitation, Licht's arm reached out and grabbed the gray haired orphan, then swiftly bringing him into a deep hug so that Asta was close to him as Licht used his light travel to back to the ground.

Most were shocked at this sudden act. Light magic was an incredibly rare affinity of magic and the fact this stranger had acted so quickly spoke volumes of his magic skill. Licht let go of Asta, whose face was contorted into one of confusion, but quickly returned to normal.

"Are you alright?" Licht asked, his words carrying nothing but the sense of comfort to the boy who almost was put in peril.

Asta stared at Licht for a moment before his eyes filled with a look of intense admiration and longing. His heart raced with excitement at the prospect of magic like Lichts. "You're magic is so COOL!" complimented Asta as he was wonder struck by this mystery man and his magic.

The boy's astounding almost seemed infectious as Licht began to jitter hearing this praise. Licht kneel to eye level with Asta and presented his grimoire to the gray haired orphan.

"My name is Licht, Asta. I have come here in search of you. I seek to ask you if you would like to come with me as not only my student, but also give me the privilege of having you as my son." Each one of Licht's words had no trace of deceit in them, his love for this orphan was without a doubt genuine.

Asta's usually gleeful expression had left his face as the words of Licht sunk in. Asta's hand began to unconsciously reach out and caress the grimoire that Licht held, tracing all of its opportunity to be made into a powerful mage just like this mystery man, but also be blessed with the chance to better prepare for his path to Wizard King. However, there was a speck of doubt in his heart. Asta had grown up at this church it felt like a betrayal to just leave for a new home, but he then felt it unfair to deny this Licht guy a chance at his own family. In Asta's good nature, he had come across a confliction. Each time he thought he could he answer the words died in his throat.

"Asta…" piped up the small voice of Yuno. "Please go with this man! I want you to grow strong because I want a rival worth fighting for the title of Wizard King. This light mage is without a doubt stronger than anyone in this village, I felt when we met, so please, go with him!"

Yuno's voice was filed with raw conviction at these statements, bringing both Lily and the Priest to silence. However, this small outburst wasn't finished as Yuno turned to Licht. "Please raise him with all the care you can give, I know he's an idiot, but please make him the strongest rival possible!"

Licht smiled at Yuno's words as Asta's eyes began to water. "Very well. I vow as his father to cultivate young Asta's magic potential to one worth of the title of Wizard King!" Licht promised asAsta began to walk away from him and towards Yuno.

"Yuno…" Asta stammered as he faced his dark hair rival and lifted his fist up. "Promise me the same thing too!"

The two orphans than bumped their fists together with a claim of their dreams and knew they would see each other soon. This moment ended as Licht and Asta began to depart, however all the children of orphanage lined up waving the two off, giving their best wishes. Asta couldn't help but tear up more. Soon when the duo was far enough from the church Asta piped up.

"Hey, dad? You can really make me strong enough to be Wizard King?" Asta asked in a hesitant tone.

"Well, it won't be easy. First we'll have to determine your affinity and then we must create a regimine-excuse me?" Licht had interrupted himself as he walked with Asta. "You called me dad…"

"Yeah, that's what you are now, right?" Asta said tilting his head at Licht's sudden stunned state.

Licht could only smile at how fast Asta had accepted him as father in such a short time. The light mage placed a hand on Asta and began to rub his head with a grin on his face and a light chuckle. "Yes. That is true, my son."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N So looks like I finally updated this thing... To be fair, I genuinely didn't think this would get as popular as it did, so I really have to thank you guys and your willingness to want to see more from me and this story. I think I will keep it a drabble series, but I felt like I had to do this chapter after a certain reveal in the manga. I hope you all enjoy.**

"Today's the day…" Asta said as he mentally readied himself. The ash haired boy stood in front of the imposing testing building of the royal capital of Clover. In this hall, hundreds of young teenagers gathered for the chance to apply as a magic knight. It was said to be grueling, many hours of multiple magic based tests, and all being inspected by the most powerful mages in the kingdom, the Magic Knight Captains.

Asta began to slap his face to keep himself assured, "You got this!" he yelled to himself. "This is what Dad trained you for! Don't screw up!" The busy street of potential magic knights merely turned their heads at the display and volume of Asta's self-motivation.

"Oi, Asta." A monotone voice called to the green eyed orphan. Asta turned quickly, breaking out of his worried stupper and with intrigue of who called his name with such familiarity. The boy was met with the sight of his best friend and rival, Yuno. Asta quickly gasped at how Yuno was a head and a half taller than him, but this momentary reaction was short lived as he then quickly pounced on Yuno.

"Damn it, I missed you! It's been so long! Why are you so tall you jerk?" Asta bombarded Yuno with more and more statements as he latched on to his fellow orphan. All of the shorter orphan's comments were only met with a quick, yet strongly returned hug, "Quit whining, ten years isn't that long." Yuno's words betrayed the smile the began to creep up on his face. They pulled away from their embrace, "So, how's your new Dad?" Yuno asked with his usual collected tone, but his eyes were laced with concern for the life Asta had gone to live with the mysterious stranger that Asta went to live with.

Asta began to rub the back of his head and his usually permanent smile faded, his home life was something he hadn't talked with anyone about in a long time. "Well…" sighed Asta, "If I'm going to tell you about my dad, promise me you won't tell anyone else, okay?" The dark haired orphan suddenly winced at this. He had never seen Asta seem so cautious, and given his recent public display, he still was pretty immature.

"Alright." agreed Yuno, "I promise that whatever you say will be kept between us."

Asta quickly regained his signature toothy grin, "Thanks, I knew I could count on you!" replied Asta. He was so happy to know his rival/friend was willing to keep his family secret. "So…" Began Asta. "It all happened after a few days with Licht…"

 _*10 years ago*_

It was in a small cottage on the edge of the Royal Realm where Asta had moved in with Licht. The ash haired boy took to enjoying his new home. It had given him things he wasn't used to back in Hage, for this was a secluded space with thriving wilderness. Back in Hage, Asta had seen nothing but farmland and crowds, but the outside wasn't even the best part. For the hyperactive child, the fully stocked pantry and soft bed were a welcome step up from the Forsaken Realm.

But all these amenities were nothing compared the fatherly warmth Asta received from Licht. Their first days together seemed average, Licht showing Asta the house and taking him on a walk to hear about his life. They had ate together, prayed together, and Asta was almost always excited for when Licht showed him a small flare of is magic. The white haired light mage always felt his heart melt at the big toothy grin his adopted son would give him.

However, throughout their time together, Licht hadn't talked much about his life or what he did for work. He would usually leave for a few hours and come back to Asta just as chipper and energized as he left. Asta barely even caught what direction he'd go off in when given the speed of Licht's light travel. But one day, the truth of his adopted father's history was laid bare for Asta.

Asta woke that morning as he usually would, slightly groggy, but overcome with the need to eat. " _I wonder what Dad is making today…_ " thought Asta as the boy walked to the kitchen. However, to his surprise, there was no prepared breakfast, no sound of sizzling from fresh food on a recently heated pan, and most alarming of all, no Licht.

He quickly scurried off to his Father's bedroom, which was usually locked during the day, but to Asta's shock, it wasn't this morning. This caused the ash haired boy to enter a 'stealth mode' and poke his head through the doorway and peer inside. On Licht's generously sized bed, peeking out from the covers, was a man with lightly colored, short hair, with a small blotch located on a few of the hair locks. However, the strangers most defining trait was a large scar that seemed to coat his entire upper face. It was such a juxtaposition for the beaten, burnt, and damaged skin to suddenly end at his nose and then become pale, unblemished, regal-like skin.

" _There's a stranger in Dad's bed!_ " Asta thought as he slowly began to enter a panicked state. This panic quickly passed and was replaced with sheer confidence, "I have to defeat him! If he did something to Licht…" Asta didn't finish his thought, he just ran off to to arm himself. Asta removed one of the golden curtain rods above the window in the kitchen, "Sorry Dad." He silently apologized for his actions, but knew they were necessary to protect his family. Asta crept back to his Father's bedroom, curtain rod in hand, ready to pounce on the sleeping stranger. With a scream filled with brash courage, Asta leaped forward and swung the rod down on the scared man with a much force his tiny body had.

"FOR LICHT!" Asta screamed as the rod connected with the sleeping man's face. The man almost instantly awoke from the first strike, "Asta, stop!" the man cried, but not in a tone of pain, rather a tone of confusion. The scared stranger reached under the pillow he had been previously slept on and pulled out his grimoire from under it. With a quick fluid motion, the scared man released several tree branches almost instantly that captured the tiny Asta.

Asta thrashed about in bindings, "LET ME OUT SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS, SCARFACE!" he hollered. The scar covered man merely grimaced at the young boy's demands.

"And why, pray tell, would you like to do that, young lad?" the man asked while tilting his to the side.

"FOR LICHT!" Asta cried again.

"I am Licht, Asta." The man said with an unwavering tone.

"LIES!" Asta proclaimed while he continued to squirm, "LICHT HAS NO EYEBROWS, WHITE HAIR, AND RED TATTOOS!"

The scar faced pain let an exhausted groan, "I guess I'll let you handle this, old friend..." the scared man said as his features began to morph. His scar faded and bone structure was reforming. His scruffy short hair and turned straight and elegant, and soon his grimoire underwent a transformation itself.

Standing in front of Asta was his adoptive father, Licht, who let out a long yawn. "Asta, I was up for almost 24-hours straight, why must you wake William and I?" Asta was stunned into silence. He couldn't seem to come up with any words for what had taken place. ...Well actually he was able to find a few words, "WHAAAAAA?" Asta said in his usually high tone, "THAT SCAR GUY WAS TELLING THE TRUTH, SO ARE YOU LIKE TWO PEOPLE OR IS IT LIKE YOUR MAGIC OR SOMETHING-" The boy's questions were cut short by Licht, who placed his hand on Asta's head and calmed him down. WIth a swift motion, Licht undid Asta's bindings and gently lowered the boy to the ground.

"I suppose this was only a matter of time, but my boy, it's time I told you the truth…" Licht had to pause, allowing his statement to liner in the air. "My name is not Licht, it is Patry. I am not human, but rather I am an elf." This bombshell wasn't met with Asta's usual explosive and bombasic reactions, but rather a controlled and quiet widening of the eyes. The now newly identified Patry continued his story, "It was a long time ago that we elves lived in the clover kingdom…"

*One story time later*

"-Then I awoke, sharing a body with William and taking the name of Licht in honor of he who saved my life." With the conclusion of Patry's story, the room stayed silent. It had felt like all of time had ceased upon the recount of the elf massacre. Asta had a look of pure shock and disbelief, but in a flash Asta had lunged forward and enveloped as much of Patry's body as he could in a hug.

"You didn't have to die! None of you elves had to die! Please tell me you won't die again!" cried the ash haired boy into his father's robes. "Asta..." Patry whispered while beginning to stroke his back. "But please don't hate humans!" Asta said while pulling his head from Patry's robes.

"I know what they did was wrong, but I know humans aren't all that bad! People like Yuno and the Sister, they're nice. I wanna be a Wizard King of a kingdom that can accept and understand guys like elves instead of killing them!" rambled the young boy as he stared directly into his adoptive father's eyes. Asta's usually brightly lit eyes with a sense of constant optimism was now releasing a waterfall of tears.

Patry only brought Asta back into another hug, "My son, how can I hate humans like you?" asked Patry in a comforting tone. "There are cruel people in this world, and my time to change it has passed, but if anyone can change the world and bring this it to a place of understanding, it's you. You have seen the lowest humanity can be pushed to, you are raised by an elf, and yet your dream is of Magic Knighthood. You're a good soul."

Asta was silent as he digested Patry's words. He never thought that someone who went through the same as Patry did would ever want a human child. But Patry was his father now, and he was determined to do right by all those who took him in over the years. To be the Wizard King was his dream, but now he realized what he could do with it. He could make sure that something like this never happened to other people ever again.

"Dad?" Asta asked as he was being held, "Could I apologize to William?" Patry smiled at Asta's request as William's face began to take shape. "William…" began Asta, "I wanna say sorry for hitting you over the head." William chuckled warmly at Asta's little apology.

"It's fine, Asta. I want you to know that all the feelings Patry has for you is shared with me." Willia, claimed as he was happy to be awoken to a tight embrace by Asta.

Asta eyed William, "So it's like I have 2 dads...?" the ash haired boy wondered out loud.

"I suppose so, yes." William said in nonchalant tone.

"AWESOME!" Asta said enthusiastically. "I've got two dads, I thought having one parent was great, but I actually gt two? This is sweet! I wish I got to meet you sooner, William!" Asta had said almost without taking a breath. William merely gave a content smirk at Asta and began to ruffle his ash gray hair. "I know you'll make a fine Wizard King, my son." the scared man said while staring into Asta's emerald green eyes that were once agains filled with optimism.

*present day*

Yuno was taken aback in shock by the revelations of Patry and William, but after all that, the dark haired orphan had only one thing on his mind, "Nice story, but I'm more curious how you have a Grimoire."

Asta rubbed the back of his head, "ha ha, well that was just a years later..."

 **A/N And with that this chapter ends. I promise that there will be a third. I just hope I get to it sooner than this, but till then, bye~**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'M BACK EVERYBODY! Yeah still surprised how big this got in the first place. But apparently you guys wanted more after chapter two so I decided to make this. I'd like to express it's a little difficult to keep making this because of school, work, and trying to break into Fire Emblem and My hero fanfiction. So I thank you all for sticking with this.**

 **Also I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I love it when you leave a review, but I would appreciate if it wasn't questions if I'm to continue this, I would love some genuine feedback so I can keep making quality for you.**

It had know been six years since Asta had been adopted by Patri and William, and ever since learning of their shared body, Asta made it apparent to make the most of his odd family. Today was Asta's fifteenth birthday and that meant he was eligible for his grimoire, sure he had shown no affinity of any kind, but that didn't quell his excitement one bit.

Patri would often be a bit unnerved to see Asta doing sit-ups solely to put his energy to something more constructive on the days leading up to his coming-of-age. Patri would often sigh and shake his head, hoping his adopted son wasn't on the verge of self destruction.

"Dad!" the ash haired orphan screamed, "Since I'm fifteen, I get my grimoire, which means we gotta go right now to the grimoire tower!" Patri, with his white hair dangling free from its usual ponytail, could feel his energy already wearing thin. It wasn't even noon and yet his gray haired don was already fixated on getting his grimoire at this very minute.

"Now now..." smoothed Patri, "Wouldn't you like your breakfast first?" The elf motioned to the bowls of curry he had sitting on the counter. Asta quickly snagged one of the bowls, and took a seat at the table, then proceeded to slurp Patrick's curry into his mouth.

"Thanssh... Sho… mush…!" Asta said muffled as he lapped up the curry. Patri couldn't help but smirk, Asta never forgot to give thanks for anything, even if it was in his own entropic manner.

" _Patri."_ called William from inside his conscious. Even though both were quite aware of their situation, Patri couldn't help turning his head ever so slightly, to check if William was truly standing behind him.

" _We should get Asta his grimoire soon, we still have that other surprise waiting for him."_

"I remember, but is it wrong for me to enjoy the company of my child?" the elf said in a cheeky fashion. Patri knew that all William had was his voice in this state, but he was sure that if the reserved captain was here in person, he'd be rolling his eyes at the elf's comments.

Asta finished his bowl of curry and let a blissful sigh. He belly was full and he was about to finally have what he always wanted, a grimoire to help awaken his magic. The green eyed boy could just start shivering at the thought of what he's be able to do once the grimoire was in his possession: he could join the magic knights, maybe even get into William's squad if he was good enough, and start working his way up the military ladder to Wizard King. He'd also have the resources to search lands beyond his home kingdom of Clover and try and find more elves for Patri. With just a mere stream of consciousness, Asta's once contently filled face was now replaced with one of sheer anticipation.

"Alright, that was great-NOW CAN I PLEASE GET MY GRIMOIRE?!" the ash haired boy said leaping out of his chair and giving Patri a look that resembled an obedient little pup that had just gotten a whiff of a new bag of treats. Patri shook his head with a smile on is face in the usual 'what am I going to do with you' fashion and motioned for Asta to leave the house.

In a swift movement, Patri whipped out his grimoire, opening it and allowing the pages to flap about in the breeze until he applied a little pressure with his thumb to stop the page flow. "Alright then, climb up." Patri beckoned to his adopted son as he took a knee.

This may seem odd, but ever since becoming family, Patri offered a unique transportation with his light magic. He'd often allow Asta to hang firmly on his shoulders as he cloaked himself in light and zoomed across the air. It was much faster than a broom and since neither had any spatial ability, this always proved best for them. Though they would often have to do it discreetly thanks to the rarity of light magic and Patri's cautious nature had always warned him that simply landing in denser populated areas like the common realm would draw some unwanted attention. This meant they'd often land on the border of the common realm and then trek to either the market or tax office, but that just gave the father and son time to walk and bond, usually about elves since Patri's reveal.

Asta hoisted himself on Patri's back and it caused Patri to let out a small groan, this task was usually so much simpler when Asta was such little spitfire. With Asta secure, Patri's body was coated in blinding golden light and took off. The sheer speed was something Patri had become used to, afterall, it was his affinity, acclimating to it wasn't that hard. But for Asta, everytime they took off into the sky, it always felt like the first time. The feeling of the wind pressure pulling back his face, the whistling sound in his ears, and the sensation of speed itself as everything around him became a blur, this magic was truly an experience for him. Asta initattly prayed that his affinity would be light, but a small hope was all fire, since it was ferocious and strong, as well as being a parallel to water which he hope might mean he was destined to be with the Sister.

They landed smoothly, with all the years Patri had been doing this, his control over his magic was immaculate, truly his technicals rivaled any captain, and he felt a small bit of pride welling up in him. That pride faded when the thought of Licht seeing how much he had grown would never come to pass. Shadows fell over his eyes as just the thought of 'that day', proceeded to creep into his mind.

"Dad, we're here." Asta said as he dismounted his adoptive father. Patri broke away from his dark thoughts and shot Asta a happy smile, good for him that his ash haired son wasn't too bright as to see beyond his mask.

The two stood in front of a large cylindrical building, which housed all the grimoire in the land. It wasn't exactly the most upkeep building, what with the many cracks forming on the outer wall's layer, coupled with moss and vines that were starting to climb up the base of the building.

"Well, enough staring, we best hurry" stated Patri as he gave Asta a small pat up the back as gesture to make him move forward. As they entered, a lone man in tattered rags noticed them and more importantly, the grimoire that the white haired elf was carrying.

"Now, what could a freak like that be doing with a four leaf clover in these parts?" the figured joked in sarcastic concern.

Once inside, Asta couldn't help but take in the sight of the vast amount of unclaimed grimoires lining the shelves that encircled this building. The pair was soon greeted by a man in stereotypical wizard attire, "so what brings you so early before the ceremony?" the old man said in a jolly tone that Patri was able to figure had some hidden meaning behind more than just a simple inquisition.

"We were actually hoping to do this without the ceremony." Patri explained, causing the old man's brow to raise. "We have our own tradition that we liked to perform without much spectacle later tonight, and this ceremony would just eat up time." Patri continued, keeping his tone soft, but clearly more assertive than usual.

The old man smiled contently as he asked Asta to hold out his arms. The old man than began to pound his staff on the floor:

"We stand here on the sigh of our great kingdom's domain of grimoires, that the youth of today's mana be given proper shape and join our great kingdom with all their potential!" The old man's speech was making Asta start to jitter, he didn't care what the grimoire would look like, be thick or thin, he'd love it all the same.

However, nothing came. All those in attendance gasped as not a single book flew from their perch into the anticipating, ash haired boy.

"This must be some kind of joke, yes?" Patri questioned as he rushed to Asta's side as he had not moved a single inch. Still anticipating his grimoire.

"Hmmmm…" pondered the old man, "I have only a single theory, but if it is the case, the boy will have to come with me. Alone."

Alone. The single word made Patri unconsciously place a hand in Asta's shoulder as if he needed to hold on ensure he didn't just disappear into thin air. Asta gave Patri a concerned look, his big green eyes held a new emotion in them that was something Patri would never thought he'd see from Asta, desperation. Patri knew what Asta's dream meant to him, that becoming the wizard king was something he's been waiting for before he even knew him. Asta placed his hand over Patri's on his shoulder.

"Very well…" huffed Patri. "But… Be careful."

Asta's eyes lost all sense of despair and shot Patri a trademark teeth-filled smile. The old man and Asta wandered off as Patri decided to wait outside. The old man brought Asta to a bookshelf in the back and gave him a look that would make a corpse begin to sweat.

"Tell me, boy, do you know that it's possible for a human to be born without magic?" asked the old man. The question seemed to take time for Asta to absorb as his eyes shifted away.

"I would've never guessed…" Asta solemnly said. The thought of being one without magic, in this world? It sounded like a nightmare, you'd be at the absolute lowest of the food chain in the kingdom. Asta began to brace himself after he started putting two and two together.

"I appears that you are a rare one indeed." the old man sad as Asta began to tremble. The ash haired orphan's beautiful green eyes began to form tears in the corners. He was also silently mouthing the word 'no', in the hope that what the old man said wasn't what he expected it to be. "Now, there is a possibility, that perhaps, you may possess a unique form of power if that is the case."

Asta sniffed a little bit, still fighting back his tears the best he could while trying to respect what the old man was telling him. The old man began to bang his cane on the floor once more, each thump felt heavy, like bursts of thunder.

"Oh hear me, Demon Lord! I know of your power, but I call upon you to reveal the truth of he who is without magic! Let thy power crawl up from the blackest abyss of nothing!" chanted the old man as a single book began to glow in demoic red aura and few to a shocked Asta.

"So it appears you are the one." The man said as Asta began to reach out for this grimoire, only for the old man to bat away his hand. "If you accept this five leaf clover, you shall be entrusted with one of the most dangerous magic in existence! Tell me, what do you intend to do with it?"

Asta rubbed his hand in contemplation, the gears in his head turning as he figured out just how important of a responsibility this was. "I-I…" stammered Asta for abit until he choked do some forming saliva, "I intend to become the wizard king! I want to show people how much hard work can accomplish even if you're just a commoner from the forsaken realm, but I also want us all to live together as equals, and with this power…" The ash haired boy paused again. It felt like hot lead was forming in his throat to prevent him from speaking, but all his word he spoke were from his heart.

The floating grimoire descended in front of Asta, for it had found its master. Lifting it up ever so gently, Asta beamed with excitement, "Wait till Patri sees this"

Patri waited outside the building with his arms folded, trying to keep his mind off of whatever his son was up to. Suddenly, a chain shot out of nowhere. The white haired elf surrounded his body with light and dodged the chain with almost no effort.

"Darn, I thought I had you~" said an eerie voice as a disheveled figure came in Patri's line of sight.

"William…" Patri asked his mental companion, "Do you know this man?"

 _"_ _His magic level resembles that of a magic knight, and given his appearance, no doubt he was one of the purple orcas."_ informed William.

"Tell me what you want." demanded Patri in an annoyed tone. This former knight seemed like no trouble at all, but he was already on a time schedule today.

"Name's Revchi the Chain, I'm here for that four leaf grimoire. I'm sure you won't be needing it after I'm through with you." Revchi sneered

Patri just exhaled in exhaustion, "You plan on killing me, don't you?" Patri's question was only meet with a stream of chains rushing at him. Coating his body light once more, Patri vanished, moving out of the chain's range.

"He's quick!" observed Revchi only to have Patri appear behind him and skewer him with a sword made of light.

Without a word, Revchi fell to ground, gasping for breath as he clutched his new abdominal wound. Patri said nothing, only lifting up his body and propping it against the grimoire temple.

 _"_ _Well that was a waste."_ Muttered William. Patri almost undetectably nodding. Thy suddenly regain focus when they saw Asta rush out the front door, cheerful calling for them.

Patri walked up to the ash haired boy, who was now proudly displaying his grimoire. Patri smiled and started to ruffle the top of the boys hair. Words couldn't describe what he was feeling, the fact he was feeling pride in a human who was his blood was an experience that transcended his language.

"Dad, is it time for that?" Asta asked with stars in his eyes.

Patri composed himself with his most gently smile and kneeled down for Asta to get onto his back, "Of course Asta. I'd never forget." Asta climbed up his back and in a blinding flash of light, the two were off to another location.

Upon arriving in the unmarked land, Patri motioned for Asta to get off him as they took in their location. It was an opening in the forest with several charred white pillars surrounding them. The grass was barely starting to form patches over the burn terrain. The father and son had arrived in the remains of the Elf VIllage.

Patri cleared his throat before he spoke, "Now Asta, remember we-"

"Go get ten stones while you start drawing the circles, I remember!" interrupted Asta. They did this for his birthday every year since the reveal of his father's elven heritage.

As Asta disappeared to find ten small stones, Patri began to draw intricate circles and interconnection lines on the ground. Onc finished, the symbol that Patri had constructed was clear, the sign of the Kabbalah. It was sacred to the elves and their beliefs and would be drawn for prayer.

Asta returned with his stones in his hands, laying them out for him and Patri. Patri then picked up a stone and gently place it into one of the Kabbalah circles, which Asta then repeated. The two proceeded to repeat this till each had placed in five stones in five different circles. With the ritual complete, Asta and Patri placed their hands together in prayer. Asta almost immediately closed his eyes, which gave Patri a chance to peek at his son. There was doubt in thee elf's mind that Asta was praying for something generous, such as peace for each realm, or the hope mor elves would show up. Patri then closed his eyes as he began his prayer.

 _"_ _God… Fallen brothers and sisters… I am thankful for blessing me with this boy as a part of my life. I have never thought my hate for humans would subside, but this boy's heart has shown me, that there's a place in this world for both of us. That Licht did care about humans for the right reasons. I know our hate is still strong, I can still feel it. But there is not an ounce of hate in my being, for Asta. So I pray, please ensure this boy's destiny for greatness and make it so that no hate ever arises in my heart or my son's."_


	4. Chapter 4

**So this isn't exactly a chapter update, but this is a question I'm posting to all those interested in this story. It seems very likely that if I were to continue following the flow of the story with us returning to where we began in chapter 2, with Asta and Yuno about to take their exam, than this fic may evolve from a simple collection of drabbles, to a full-blown rewrite of the series.**

 **Now I am well aware that a lot have come for the cute father-son moments, and if we were to make this an AU, I couldn't guarantee we'd get those every chapter. However, I've also received PMs asking if Asta will be in the Black Bulls or Golden Dawn, ad wondered if we were going to go hunting for other elves. So I want to ask you all this, would you like me to change this from a drabble to an AU fic, or would you like me to just keep it as a bunch of disconnected drabbles?**

 **You can tell me in review or PM, just let me know your thoughts.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: That's right, people! This is an AU now! And look, I got a chapter out in less than 7 months.**

"And that's how I got my grimoire!" Finished Asta triumphantly. The ash haired boy had felt that there was some hard parts of recounting the last few years to his friend, Yuno, but in the end, he was ultimately proud of this strange familial life he had.

Yuno stared blankly at Asta for a few moments, processing all of this news. Five leafed clovers, elves, anti magic, two father's? It was too much! But luckily for Yuno, his usual bland expressions and collected demeanor made an excellent mask for hiding these confusions. "Okay. Question." Started Yuno. "Did you have to include the part about the curtain rod?"

"I was tryin' to make the story more fun!" Cried Asta, who was in an odd state of being confused why his childhood friend chose that to question and the fact that he didn't seem impressed at all. Before Asta had a chance to continue his screaming fit, a gruff, cold voice called out to the two boys.

"If you two are here for the entrance exam, you better not spend your precious minutes exchanging stories." The voice belonged to a rather tall man, with icy blue hair, long face, and had a large scar that started at the right side of his forehead and crossed diagonally down to his jaw line. He wore a short green cloak that barely covered his upper body, making the icy blue, double-breasted military uniform very visible. "The test starts in ten minutes." Declared the man pulling out a small pocket watch, "If you haven't registered then, you will not be allowed to take the test. We will not allow a second of lateness."

The two boys both grimaced at his words. They had spent too much time catching up and hadn't realized that they cut be kept from taking the test.

"Go easy on 'em, Heath." Said a voice with a very deep tone. Walking out from the shadows of the entryway was a man taller than the recently identified Heath, who had slicked back hair and small chin beard. The man wore a red cloak, which while covering the same amount of upper body as Heath's green cloak, also included a cape attached to the back. The cloak also had rope-like ornaments hanging right under the collarbone area.

"Lateness is a sin, Ben" Heath replied, his voice while monotone had an eerie sense of venom behind it. But Ben just ignored his fellow Magic Knight and walked up to Asta and Yuno.

"Look, I'll take you boys in and register you. You still got plenty of time." Comforted Ben as he allowed a small wave of relief wash over the two Magic Knight hopefuls.

As the trio walked down the halls, Asta pelted Ben with numerous questions. The bearded man sighed as he decided to give the boys a small overview. "You see boys, I'm a member of the Crimson Lions. We are one of nine squads that serve the Wizard King."

Asta put his arms behind his head and leaned back slightly, he wasn't uninterested in what Ben was saying, but William had already explained the test and what the captains were looking for. Asta was more concerned in hearing about the missions, how to make it to Wizard King status, and where to get these cool outfits.

"And that's all I got to say." Finished Ben as he had lead the boys to a small room that had almost nothing in it, but multiple doorways that likely led to different rooms in the building. Ben quickly pulled out a small notebook that was used to record the participants. "Alright, state your full name and age."

Yuno was about to speak, but he soon found himself cut off by Asta, "Asta Licht, age fifteen!"

"Alright, Asta… Licht…" Ben muttered to himself as he recorded Asta's information. "And you?"

"Yuno. Age fifteen."

"No last name?" Questioned Ben as he started to take note.

"I'm an orphan." Yuno said as bluntly as he could.

"Both fifteen, ehh? Our captain has a little brother taking the exam who's that old. Given his bro, He's a shoe-in for the Crimson Lions." Ben commented as he finished jotting down all their info, closing his notebook and pointing that down one of the many hallways. "Testing is down there, in the arena. It'll begin when all the captains are present in the observation deck. Wish you both luck!"

The two orphans walked in silence to the main testing area. What Ben had said had gotten the gears in both Asta and Yuno's heads turning. In the ash haired boy's mind, he couldn't help but think he might've had an unfair advantage over the others. He, and who ever that captain's younger brother were, had someone in their family who could pull the strings for them. Asta wanted desperately to be a Knight, but he wanted to do it on his own skill. Being a Wizard King without any hard work sounded so fake and alien to him.

But the dark haired boy was thinking something different. He was slowly feeling a well of jealousy starting to bubble-up from inside him. Someone who was a shoe-in without even trying? Bullshit. Who your related to shouldn't matter, just the better mage. Stealing a small glance at his grimoire, Yuno felt comforted in its four leaves. He was lucky and he'd show that it wasn't just some fluke. This commoner would stand above all of them.

 _Elsewhere in the testing center_

William trudged through the upper floors of the buildings. This annuale test was often a wash for him given his high standards for taking in a member of a knight, but after living with Asta he started to feel if his curve may be too high.

" _What am I thinking!?"_ He mentally chided himself. " _I am a Magic Knight captain of the highest ranking division, of course my standards are high!"_

William knew this wouldn't be easy for him, unlike the Silva and Vermillion, he had to interest in letting nepotism influence his judgement, but his shared love with Patri was starting to weigh heavy on his conscious.

" _William."_ Came the mental voice of Patri. " _I know what your thinking. We have to let Asta pass, you know as well as anyone that no one will take a chance and someone with an unknown magic. As his fathers, it's our job to support him."_

William took a deep breath before he began to speak once more to his shared soul. " _We'll have to wait and see how he does. Who knows, he could just ace every exam?_ " William's words were half-hearted. He knew Asta's strengths and weaknesses in the 3 months they trained for. He knew that Asta's technicals were-putting it kindly-below average.

"Yo, freaky birdman mask…" Called a manly voice that oozed with pure authority. William turned his head quickly and saw Yami Sukehiro, captain of the Black Bulls, standing behind him.

"Oh, Yami. I didn't see you there." William said in a tone trying to sound interested.

"Yeah. I wanted to smoke, but reverse ponytail and queen tsundere told me I had to do it outside." Yami said nonchalantly. Every time he spoke William could feel a small bead of sweat drip down the side of his face. His usual 'no shits given' attitude had always confounded William. Sure William respected him as a fellow captain, but he almost always seemed to be rejecting any and all responsibilities of making his squad stand at the top.

William still managed a forced smile, "So… Think we have a good crop this year, Yami?" William's tone was unwavering, but could feel a small tension between the two when talking about the upcoming exam. He knew Yami had this strange sixth sense about people when they were lying or telling the truth.

"Don't know. All I care about is finding another interesting character to join my men." Shrugged Yami, giving William no indication he thought something was amiss.

"Well, we should begin soon. The others are probably cursing our tardiness." Sighed William as he tried to rush the two of them down the hall.

 _On the testing grounds_

In large arena was where the test would be taking place. It was a completely round room, and in the upper level several feet above them was banitered area that was made for the captains to sit and look down on those participating. However, off to the far right side of the room, was a rather nervous candidate.

"I pass… I fail… I pass… I fail… I pass… I fail…" Picking off the petals of a flower was a young girl with wavy vermillion hair and an oddly voluptuous build, droning to herself out loud. "I pass… I fail…" This flower petal fortune was perpative for sure, but to the young girl, it was her only outlet for her testing nerves.

"Do you see that girl?" Said a random boy off to the side of the room.

"Yeah, she's really hot. Y'know if I pass this test and she sees me, maybe I could ask her out." Said the first man's compatriot, who was starting to develop a lecherous gaze.

"No way, man. I mean, **look** at her." The first boy said emphasizing the girl's appearance. "That girl is a member of the Vermillion House! I think her name is… Mimosa?"

The second boy almost completely tensed up. "No way?!"

"It also explains why none of these stupid anti-magic are flocking to her." replied the first man as he tried to brush off these strange black birds that flocking around their heads.

"The fact that you think that way, shows how ignorant you two are to the nature of magic." A pompous voice said from behind the two boys. The duo turned to see a bespectacled young man, with combed back hair staring daggers at them. The two felt twinges of fear rush through them. This man was the Lunettes heir, Klaus. "Mana exist inside all of us. We produce our own amount of mana just as the world produces its own amount mana. Due to genetics, it is common that people with higher pools of mana are to come from higher members of society, but even the strongest noble would fall to a peasant, if that peasant was equipped with a grimoire."

The two stood dumbfounded at the sudden lecture given by this glasses wearing individual. "I guess he's right." Said one of the boys.

"I'll keep it in mind, four-eyes." The other said sheepishly.

Almost in a flash, the bespectacled young man turned his back towards the two strangers, "Though of course, that would never happen to me. For I will crush any who stand in my and Lunettes way." Declared Klaus, as he pushed up his glasses slightly, without a hint of jest in his tone. The bespectacled young man was from a middle-noble house, that wasn't to far from reaching higher nobility like the Silva, Vermillion, and Kira. It was actually a well known rumor that Klaus would likely go onto to marry into one of those houses to finally raise his family's status to final echelon of society.

The boy shifted his eyes to the side to see that two anti-magic birds had perched themselves on his shoulder, something of a feat given the other applicants. Klaus then suddenly shifted his gaze to the entrance to the exam arena and caught glimpse of two new arrivals. The first was a short boy with Ash gray haired, who was suddenly swarmed with anti-magic birds, Klaus knew this boy wouldn't be a challenge. However, after him was a much taller dark haired boy who had no bird flock towards him. This gave Klaus a small terrible. There was no way someone had a mana pool that took up their entire form. There had to be a break somewhere.

"Asta." Yuno called from behind his fellow Hage villager. "I'm going to another spot in the room, I don't want us to be compared side by side."

While Yuno's words were full of coldness, Asta only could get giddy. He loved Yuno like his brother, he wanted them to both succeed here today, them they could both start competerting with each other for the title of Wizard King. "Alright then, Yuno-ouch!" Asta tried to say confidently only to be interrupted by a bird pecking at his cheek. Yuno gave Asta a small smile as he left for another side of the room.

The taller orphan soon took a place right next to Klaus. The Lunettes heir spoke no words, only giving Yuno a stern look while adjusting his glasses. Ending his gesture with an audible huff.

"Oh darn it, I'll fail!" Cried the Vermillion haired girl. She had just plucked her last petal, and the outcome was not ideal. It seemed fate wasn't on her side.

"Look at these morons.~" Cackled a voice in a hushed tone. Standing against the wall of the testing area was an averagely built young man with a dark, ornate headband, observing the other applicants with a smug look on his face. " _I could pair up with that girl to make me look better, but she's from the Vermillion family, wouldn't wanna say something that would put my family's standing in trouble."_ The smug man's eyes fixated on Asta, who was currently shooing away they anti-magic birds, only for them to latch on to the boy once more. " _But him..._ "

The smug man approached Asta, and with a sparkle in his eye, tapped the ash haired boy on the shoulder. "Hey there!" The man said in a chipper tone that completely contradicted his previous demeanor. Asta turned around quick, and with his usual smile, held out his hand graciously for a proper introduction.

"Hello, my name is Asta Licht, I'm here to be a Magic Knight! Are you here to be a Magic Knight too? Asta said very frantically. He was off-guard on interacting with people and some anxieties that he had been pushing down suddenly started to come out.

"Yep! I sure am. My name's Sekke Bronzazza, hey if we do the test next to each other maybe we could both end up in the same squad.~" Encouraged Sekke. Underneath his facade, he was already planning on using this wreak of a Magic Knight hopeful to his advantage.

The room suddenly went quiet as a chill filled the air of the room. Soon creeping upon the floor was a crackling blue ice. Soon three pillars of ice began to rise in order in front of a wall that had had the observation deck for the captains. Each pillar was different in height, starting small yet getting increasingly taller in a manner similar to stairs. Walking up this makeshift staircase was the same scared man at the entrance way.

"Good day, applicants! My name is Heath Grice of the Green Mantis! Your time for milling about has passed! Now is the time for the Magic Knight Entrance exam!" Announced Heath as he was comfortably standing a few feet above everyone in attendance, but not high enough to reach the deck. The icy blue haired man continued, "Take to heart that this will be one of the most defining things in your life time, and you shall be judged by the finest mages of Clover! Please welcome, The Magic Knight Captains!"

As Heath finished his speech, the captains appeared in the observation deck on the upper floor. Nine incredibly power people walked in, each one having such an air of power and mystique that immediately drew all eyes towards them. However, Asta's large green eye were focused on only one captain. And regardless of their distance apart, they both knew they were looking the other dead-on.

 **A/N: Okay so I'm sure you all got a few questions, and I defiantly have a few things to say:**

 **First is, thank you everyone who left their feedback on what they'd like to see with the continuation of this series. Seriously, I want to make this clear, your feedback and reviews keep this story going and make me want to strive to be a better writer. I ask that if you are enjoying this series, feedback is what I look at and I take it all to heart. So thank you.**

 **Second, yes that is Heath from the whole Sossi Village arc. Look, Patri isn't evil in this world, so there are some changes that have taken place and I want to make it clear that this is definitely a different Black Clover. Also I just included Ben because of how awesome his name is. Ben Benfunk.**

 **Third, With the introduction of Mimosa and Klaus early... You can probably guess why. Plus I just felt it was important rather than introducing them all at once.**

 **Fourth, I loved how responsive you guys were to me posing a question to the audience, so just for curiosity, I wanna ask which squad you think Yuno will end up in. Now this is a totally optional question, don't have to answer, but if you do just say that's what your doing so that I can tell the difference between that and a normal review. Speaking of which...**

 **If you liked this, please likee and follow, and if you can, leave a review. As you can tell it means a lot, thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Sorry for the delays folks. Had exams... How fitting it is though for this new chpter to bee on the Magic Knight exams. Anyway, enjoy.**

 _3 months ago..._

" _Alright, Asta. The Magic Knight exam is going to be held in the coming months, which means you'll need to be at your fullest with what we can cultivate right now." Stated William as he and his foster son were currently stationed outside their home. With Asta's new grimoire, the previously orphaned boy had argued that he should take the earliest test he could so he could start on his road to Wizard King. Patri and William were both apprehensive, but eventually decided that with Asta's determination, coupled with his unique magic, might be able to scrape by in the entrance exam._

 _Asta was so giddy that he appeared to almost be vibrating. "I can't wait!" The ash haired boy proclaimed as he held up his grimoire with much enthusiasm. Not just for this father-son bonding time, but also to learn at the feet of a magic knight captain. "So is Patri going to be helping out, too?"_

 _William had let out a small chuckle before answering his son. "Unfortunately, we both agreed that I was the more proficient mage." William small smile had evolved into a bemused grinned, "Patri is strong, but it's quite obvious that several of the magic knight captains could leave him in the dust." The Golden Dawn captains remarks suddenly caused his right eye to start twitching slightly. William inwardly sighed as he realized that there was no safe way of getting a jibe in at his shared soul without him feeling some of fall out._

 _William bent down to eye level with his son and set his grimoire to the side. Extending out an open palm, the masked captain so grew a sprout in his hand. Almost immediately, that sprout formed into a small tree. Barely the size of a fully grown tulip._

" _This, Asta, is my affinity. My basic magic nature that I was born with. I can produce sprouts without much effort, however, it's nowhere near as strong as the trees I create with my grimoire. So for our first exercise, what can you make with just your base affinity?"_

 _Asta took to his adopted father's words and held out his hands in a manner that made it look like the ash haired youth was cupping water from a spring. Minutes passed as the two stood in hesitant silence, with only the rustling of the spring wind against the trees to be heard._

 _Asta's face became pained as he made grunts and groan like he was trying to force out his affinity, but came off as if he was fighting constipation. His face contorted in anguish and his brow became slick with sweat. Asta's focus on his hands stopped him from even looking at his foster father, who was no doubt getting irritated with this display._

Present Day...

Asta was struggling, with his vice grip on the handle of his broom not letting up. The first test administered by Heath was to have the test applicants show their ingenuity with a flying broom. Being a knight meant to be capable of making it to locations of distress in a decent time. While there were applicants that were higher than others by just getting on the broom, and some were struggling with navigating and controlling their broom, but the gray haired anti mage was the only one struggling to get his broom off the ground. Asta flexed his body in such a way, with the tip of the broom handle pointed towards the sky, that allowed him to see all the other applicants soar above him. Asta watched as his newly acquainted testing buddy, Sekke, was floating about 10 meters of the ground. The sparkly Bronzazza heir gave a small wave to the earthbound Asta, who had now started to hop hoping he'd get the slightest bit of lift.

"Strange." Remarked the captain of the Crimson Lion, Fuegoleon as he watched from the captain's viewing both. "Even with the smallest amount of magic, the broom should be able to hover a little." The vermillion haired captain said as he rubbed his chin in bewilderment.

The masked captain of the Golden Dawn could only grimace as his eyes shifted between Fuegoleon and Asta. William felt somewhat queasy at Asta's performance. He knew that the first test, often regarded as the easiest by many, would be a struggle for Asta given his unique affinity. Still, William held out hope for his boy, knowing that if there was only one failing grade, then maybe Asta would still be eligible for the Golden Dawn.

"Looks like we got a few standouts this year!" Announced the captain of the Purple Orca, Gueldre Poizot. His words caused William's eyes to shift ever so slightly to look towards the sky of the testing arena. Soaring high above the other were Klaus Lunette, Mimosa Vermillion, and Yuno.

Klaus was steady with his broom, clearly having training before coming here. The pale blue haired youth's technique was tight, but he was clearly floating lower than his other contemporaries at the top. Mimosa was not as graceful, with a small, noticeable wobble in her broom. Despite that, the member of the Vermillion family held her broom tight and was not overpowered by her current height.

Then, above all others, was Yuno. The dark haired orphan was at the very top of the arena, looking down on all the struggling commonwealth and nobility who were desperately wishing to to squeeze more height out of their brooms. Yuno could feel a twinge in the corners of his lips. His muscles desperately wishing to flex and and smile at his current standing. But with a nod of the head, Yuno shock off those thoughts as he began to do something drastic. In a single motion, Yuno hoisted himself up and stood atop his broom in perfect balance. His actions caused audible gasps to ring out through the arena, even the stone faced Heath placed his hand on his grimoire in caution. This commoner from the forsaken realm seemed to have no qualm with performing this stunt at what seemed to be thirty-four meters.

Captains began to take stock in this as the normally stoic Yami 's eyes visibly widened at the young applicants skill. Charlotte, who was known to judge men with impossibly high standards, had her mouth open at the sight of the broom-surfing. Then there was the youngest of the captains, Rill, who started to become giddy with excitement. The Azure Deer captain was shaking out of his seat and let out impressed compliments and remarks at Yuno's skill.

"Alright, that's enough!" Came the cold voice of Heath, who flipped open his pocket watch. "Your time is up. I will permit you twenty-five seconds to return to the ground and then wait for you next proctor." With a snap close of his pocket watch, the Green Mantis mage left the testing grounds.

"WAIT! WAIT, I DIDN'T EVEN…!" Pleaded a dejected Asta who soon fell silent as Heath had exited the arena. Asta gave his broom to another random assistant who had come around to collect them with a sigh.

"Hey Asta!~" Called Sekke, as he swooped down from the sky to the ash haired boy. "Don't get too upset, they'll see how cool you are in the next exam!" The older boy's words were followed with a thumbs-up, seemingly dying to have a promotional photo taken of him right then and there.

Asta steeled himself at Sekke's words. He knew he had to do better than this, he couldn't let one test shake his confidence, he was going to be the Wizard King, damnit! That meant busting his ass in all the things he can do right, and eventually mastering the things he couldn't yet do. "You're right, thanks, Sekke!"

The room feel quiet as a new man entered the testing arena. He was dressed in a silver colored robe, with fur lining the edges, and an Eagle emblazoned on it. The man had an angular face, all sharp and ridged. From his rectangular shaped head to his pointed nose, the only feature of his that seemed to curve was a jagged scar the curled down the side of his cheek. Audience members gulped as the man passed by them, and for those unfortunate enough to have his cold, beady eyes fall upon them, had all the color in their face drained.

"Good afternoon, applicants." The knight spoke. To the surprise of many his voice was rather soft and gentle, which made the man all the more unnerving. "My name is Rob Vintesse, I will be your second proctor. As a magic knight, you must understand that our grimoire allows us to go beyond our base affinity. It allows us to create from our base affinity." Rob opened his grimoire and wind soon began to swirl.

From his grimoire, the swirling wind that Rob had summoned took the form of a simple lance. With a thin tornado making you the base and a larger, more raging tornado made up the spearhead of the lance. "This is creation magic. Sometimes firing off blasts of our magic isn't always an option. Imagine dueling in the streets with a rogue mage, a loose blast of magic could strike a bystander. As such, with creation magic, you have an almost unlimited hand-based weaponry at our disposal." Rob's explanation sunk into most applicants the same, aside from Yuno, who began to leer at Rob with and odd fixation on the knight's newly made lance.

"Your test will be on what you can create, its not limited to solely weaponry, but please show us your skill." Finished Rob. The captains sitting above the angular knight all began to smirk as they heard the testing instructions.

"Sounds simple enough." Remarked Klaus as he fixed his glasses.

Asta stood in silence at the requirement for the exam, and began to scan his fellow test takers. Some were pulling out misshapen tools from their grimoires, while others tried to make mismatched objects that weren't weapon based. His bright green eyes fell on Mimosa, who had made a small statue out of flower petals that looked a spitting image of her.

"Daaaah, cute…" Snickered captain Jack at the young noble who opted not the make a weapon. Yet even the Green Mantis captain saw the irony of a girl with a flower petal based affinity making a tool to cause harm through them.

Asta's eyes darted to Klaus, on the other hand, opted to mimic the instructor by making a lance himself, this one made of metal though. Finally, Asta's gaze fell to Yuno, his childhood friend. Yuno had so thoroughly wowed the captains in the first test with just what he could do with having this natural born mana reserve while flying, now was his chance to unveil the power of his grimoire.

With a small inhale and exhale, Yuno opened his grimoire, allowing wind to swirl around him, his hair flapping from the simple force of the breeze he was generating. Rob the proctor took notice of this and had cocked on angular eyebrow at the recent reveal. A mere applicant was making wind stronger than his, one who had he had never seen or heard take this test previously, and yet he was already making a huge stride forward. There was no doubt in his mind that captain Nozel Silva was watching this and feeling disappointed in him.

With a quick flash of green, the wind swirled and took the shape of and eagle. The majestic bird was made entirely of wind with each part of it flowing so perfectly with itself. The beast was roughly larger than its creator and the crowd could only watch in awe. The boy from the boonies had left them all speechless once again.

While all eyes were on Yuno, Yuno's eyes fell back to Asta. He wanted to see if the little muscle runt from Hage orphanage actually was capable of magic given his previous tale. William's eyes too had fell to Asta, his adopted son had yet to make a move.

" _Come on, Asta… Now's your chance…!"_ Patri echoed inside William's mind. The both knew that this was a moment that their ash haired could shine given their previous training. The shared sentiment seemed to reach Asta who began to brightly smile at Yuno's creation.

"Hey, Asta, look!" Called Sekke who had created a small figurine of himself out of glowing bronze. The figure was nowhere near as big as Yuno or Mimosa's, but it did pose rather ostentatiously. Looking like it was ready to perform a pirouette in front of the other applicants. However, Asta didn't look over his shoulders. Instead he opened his grimoire and allowed the pages to flip themselves from the force he had opened it with.

 _3 months ago..._

" _GAAH!" Cried Asta as he tumbled onto his back. He had been trying close to six minutes to summon some sign of his affinity. Sadly there wasn't so much as a poof, but did that stop him, oh no. Asta jumped to his feet and placed his hands together in the way he previously had. "This time, I'll do it!"_

 _William, however, halted his son, telling him to take a minute from simply screaming and reenacting what he did on the household toilet at five-in-the-morning. "Asta, it's not that I have no faith, but what did the keeper of the grimoire tower tell you?"_

 _Asta quickly rubbed his chin in a contemplative fashion. "He said something about a demon and anti magic… Wait! Was he trying to say I didn't have any magic?" William let out a small laugh at his son's outburst. "Da-ad! It's not funny!" A small blush creeping across his face, likely from frustration._

" _I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" chuckled William as he recomposed himself. Asta's mention of anti magic stuck out to him. One would think that anti magic was another name for one without magic. Afterall, what was the opposite of magic? No magic. But that might not necessarily be true, if one lacked magic then there is no possible way a grimoire would've reacted, so this opposite of magic must be more than just having no magic at all._

 _If this was the opposite of magic, which usually would take form in the shape of affinity, then that would mean that anti magic wasn't a free-flowing affinity. It couldn't be forced out, at the end of the day the anti magic affinity was bound to asta. It wasn't a simple element that could be found else in the world, it was unique to this boy, and this boy alone. Suddenly, the great tree mage had an idea hatch. "Asta, open your grimoire and think of a sword."_

 _Asta looked puzzled at his dad. He hadn't even summoned his affinity, why did he need to move on to his grimoire? He open it up to a blank page, but then looked up to his father. "Say dad... Why a sword?"_

" _Patri actually suggested it, said it be simple and you'd think it be cool." William answered dryly._

" _Well… All good knights need swords!" Grinned Asta._

 _Asta was then talked through the process, placing his hand on the blank page, the ash haired orphan began to think of a sword in his mind. Suddenly, the grimoire began to glow with a hellish black and red aura, the sight of which would make normal folk's blood run cold. Soon in the center of the book's bindings a concentrated ball of red and black aura appeared. It was soon broken open by a sword handle rising out of it. The handle was coated black, matching the grimoire, but the blade had yet to make an appearance._

" _He did it!" Thought William and Patri simultaneously, elated at the current events._

 _Asta took hold of the handle, not letting his mind lose focus on the image of a sword, the green eyed orphan began to pull at the handle. Each upward heave Asta performed was followed by painful grunts at the struggle of pulling this blade out. His muscles began to burn as he began to feel the weight of this beast was more than he anticipated. William reached forward slightly, grabbing the top of the handle, hoping to assist in pulling up the blade._

 _As the Golden Dawn captain grabbed a hold of the handle only to be met with an odd sensation. He could feel his mana being sucked out of his body. Almost instinctively backing away, William let go of the handle, was this anti magic? Was this what was magic's natural opposite? If so, how was Asta fairing against this._

 _Asta shifted from a kneeling posture to a crouching one as he was able to add his leg strength to his lift. Soon the sword began to move, the blade finally making and appearance. Watching Asta's new creation take fruit, William could only watch with a smile growing slowly across his lips._

Present...

Asta pulled out his sword with greater ease than in the past, having gotten accustomed to the lift, it was much easier than his first time. With a final pull, Asta removed his blade from his grimoire to all to bare witness to. Asta's blade was pitch black, while it looked beaten up, it was large almost as big as Asta himself, and he hoisted it with almost no issue. Sekke's eyes widened in shock at this reveal, though his lower half of his face kept to its usual plastered smile.

Mimosa had turned to see the intimidating blade as well. Its beaten and scary form was a bit strong on the girl's heart who almost looked away. Klaus paid no mind as a sword wasn't as grand as Yuno's eagle. Rob too was impressed by the odd looking blade. No affinity he'd ever seen resembled that blade's structure. And for Asta's rival, Yuno simply smiled. His adoptive brother wasn't out of this exam yet. While the dark haired orphan made a beast, the ash haired one made a sword larger and longer than any other applicants.

William felt it, his pride was bubbling you. Was this what it is was like to be a parent? To feel this fire inside be stoked by someone else's accomplishments. The masked captain even looked over at his fellow captains for their reactions. Jack and Yami as blade enthusiast naturally took to this creation magic, as it gave them a reminder of their own magic. Fuegoleon even began to nod his head in approval of Asta's creation.

Asta felt all eyes on him and he took this opportunity to make a single proclamation. "I'M NOT GIVING UP! I'M GOING TO BE THE NEXT WIZARD KING!"

 **A/N: So sorry for the wait... It is tough that as I write this I'm currently writing a different fic for MHA. I try to alternate between updates, so it might take me awhile to get to a new chapter.**

 **With that said, I am grateful that so many of you are enthusiastic for my fic, really, it's amazing. However, I ask to stoop sending me PMs or reviews that ask if the story is dead. If I choose to ever discontinue a story, I will release it in an update. Basically, you'll know if I wanted to end this fic. But, if you just have to know or if your new, please ask via PM, as I like to keep the review section for review based comments.**

 **That's all for me right now, see you soon~**


	7. Update

So really big and important update, guys.

I'm sure followers of this work are wondering when the next update is coming. Well, its been taking time, not just cause of my own schedule (and my own personal short comings with time), but its because I've been reflecting on myself as a writer and the direction of the story.

When I had written 'Stars and Light,' I had intended it to be a cute little oneshot, then it evolved into a two shot and then a three shot. However, I had then made the decision to make it into an AU fic of the the entire Black Clover world. While I don't reject doing that creatively, and I still want to give people that story, I feel as though it has been tacted onto a prelude that just hasn't flowed well.

As a writer, I know my skill has been amatuer at best, and I've been trying to find new ways to become a better writer to provide a better experience for my audience. However, also as a writer, I enjoy coming up with a larger picture and with Black Clover as a series that is still going on, I have been waiting for more chapters to be released so I have more material to work with.

As such, I shall be releasing the rest of this series on a companion piece titled **"Stars and Light: Journey to Become King."** The story will still be set in the same universe with the same premise as Stars and Light. However, this will be following an AU of the series. I will be re-releasing the chapters of this work that correspond to the Magic Knights Entrance Exam and put in the disclaimer that the audience read the first 3 chapters of Stars and Light.

To be clear, this is not an abandonment of this fic, nor is it me saying its up for adoption. This is simply myself making the conscious decision to continue this portion of the story on a different document.

Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the wait, but this was something that I have been mulling over for a long amount of time. Thank you for your patience, and I hope to see you all again with the release of **"Stars and Light: Journey to Become King."** Till then, take care


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, just want you to know that my AU continuation of this fic, **Stars and Light: Journey to Become King** , has just been posted. So if you wanna keep following this story, check it out


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